Macaroni

It's Macaroni Day!!!

And, we all know what that means ............

Adult Sized Mac and Cheese 

INGREDIENTS

• Four (4) ounces (113 g.) thick-sliced Apple Wood Smoked Bacon
• Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt 
• Two (2) cups Elbow Macaroni or Cavatappi 
• 1 1/2 cups whole Milk 
• Two (2) tablespoons unsalted Butter 
• Two (2) tablespoons All-Purpose (AP) Flour 
• 4 ounces (113 g.) Gruyère cheese, grated 
• 3 ounces (85 g.) extra-sharp Cheddar, grated 
• 2 ounces (57 g.) blue cheese, such as Roquefort or Saga, crumbled 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper 
• Pinch Nutmeg 
• 2 slices white Sandwich Bread, crusts removed 
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped Basil Leaves 

TECHNIQUE
Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).

Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and arrange the Bacon in 1 layer on the baking rack. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the Bacon is crisp. Remove the pan carefully from the oven - there will be hot grease in the pan! Transfer the Bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble when it is cool enough to handle.

• TECHNIQUE NOTE : You can use a plain 'ole skillet to cook the bacon if you prefer.

Drizzle  some Olive Oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the Macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well. 

While the pasta is cooking, heat the Milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt the Butter in a medium pot and add the Flour. Cook over low heat for two (2) minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot Milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, blue cheese, one (1) teaspoon Kosher Salt, Black Pepper, and Nutmeg. Add the cooked Macaroni and crumbled Bacon and stir well. Pour into a medium-sized gratin dish or oven-proof casserole.

Place the Bread Slices in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Add the Basil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the pasta.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the Macaroni is browned on the top.

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten.

French Fries!

National French Fries Day!!!

I have yet to meet anyone on the planet who does not love these. If these people do exist, they must really be hungry.

The origins of what we now know as the "french fry", began in Belgium in 1680 A.D., however, this is disputed. The most likely origin occurred about 1735 A.D. in what was then the Spanish Netherlands; where they were described simply as "potatoes sautéed in oil." It wasn't until 1860 A.D., when a Belgian, living in Scotland of all places, created what are now known as "chips" that the fried potato fad really took off.

Rumor has it that the term "French Fry" was coined by American doughboys in World War I, who first experienced the treats in Belgium. Not knowing the difference between France and Belgium, hey, they both speak French, the G.I.'s simply called them "French Fries". Even though this story is unsubstantiated, the romantic in me prefers it.

Most Belgian "Frittes" are made using the "twice cooked" method to achieve maximum crispiness on the outside and perfect fluffiness on the inside. This method involves first cooking the potatoes once in oil that is at a low temperature, about 325°F or 163°C, just enough to cook them through. The "blanched" fries are then moved to a much hotter oil, about 375°F or 191°C, to crisp up the exterior and make them GBD (that's Golden Brown and Delicious, ya'll).

As you can imagine, despite the fabulous results with the twice-fried method, this is a real pain-in-the-arse to do at home, especially in a New York City apartment. I prefer to let the professionals handle this method.

So, for me, my favorite solution is baking.

Yes, you read that right.

French Fried "Baked" Potatoes

Crispy, fluffy, and easy. What's not to like?

EQUIPMENT

A 10" x 16" (25 x 41 cm.) Baking Pan

Heavy Tongs

Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil

A large Plastic Bag with no holes it it

INGREDIENTS

Two (2) Russet Potatoes

• INGREDIENT NOTE : The actual type of potato really does matter here. As tasty as they are, waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold or Red Bliss potatoes do not work very well because they have a higher moisture content and do not make for a crispy outside and a fluffy inside. So, the plain old Russet is the way to go here

Xtra Virgin Olive Oyl

Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

OPTIONAL : Your favorite dried Herb or Spice, see the VARIATIONS section below for details.

TECHNIQUE

Preheat the oven to 475°F (246°C).

Take some Aluminum Foil and line the bottom of the Baking Pan (makes cleanup very easy).

Wash the Potatoes and cut them up into wedges. Place the Potato wedges into the large Plastic Bag.

Add, about two (2) tablespoons of Olive Oyl to the Potatoes in the Bag. Close the Bag and give the Potatoes a good shake to coat them with the oil. Open the Bag and sprinkle in about two (2) tablespoons of Kosher Salt and a few good grinds of Black Pepper. Re-seal the Bag and shake the Potatoes as you dance around the kitchen.

Once you're tired, open the Bag and spread the seasoned Potato wedges in one layer onto the foil lined Baking Pan.

Place the Baking Pan into the oven for about thirty (30) to forty (40) minutes, flipping the wedges over about half-way through with your Heavy Tongs. The 'spuds are done when the outside is crispy and the inside is fluffy; just grab one with your tongs and taste it if you're that concerned.

VARIATIONS

The above recipe is pretty basic and boring. So, let's spice things up! When you add the Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to the bag add whatever spices that you are in the mood for. Feeling zesty? Add some chili powder and some cayenne. Feeling herby? Add some dried Rosemary, or Thyme, or Herbes de Provence. Feeling Indian? Some Madras curry powder and some cumin will do the trick. You get the idea.

Experiment with different amounts and combination of herbs and spices to find your favorite.

©2011 Wait At The Bar

Whoa!!!

Well.....

Photo : Barcroft

The Green Man Pub in Wellington, New Zealand went looking for a new beverage entry for the nationwide 14th Annual Monteith's Beer & Wild Food Challenge competition. Steve Drummond, co-owner of the Green Man Pub, got an idea after passing the nearby Christchurch Stallion farm.

Apple Flavored Horse Semen Shots!

According to Green Man Pub chef, Jason Varley, the horse semen drink known as “Hoihoi tatea” is particularly preferred by the female clientele. Most ladies down the stuff and afterwards make jokes about going home and getting their husbands to eat grass, or about the possibility of their children being born with long faces. Varley admits that he has tried horse semen himself and claims it tastes “ok”, “like custard”, but says it’s not very popular with men, in general.

Drummond advises his customers to shoot the sticky horse semen back in one gulp rather than attempt to sip the bizarre concoction.

So, the next time you're passing a stud farm in Kentucky, remember to have your apple flavored vodka handy.

Via The Dominion Post and Metro

Real Engineering

Design your own chocolates!

The tech wizards at the University of Exeter in the UK have created the world's first three dimensional printer that will create edible chocolate bon bons in any design that you can create and imagine! Simply download their software, create your own unique design (like your dog's face or congressman's private parts), hit send, and take a stroll down the street to your local chocolatier to pick up your confection.

You'd better get to work; it's only seven months until Valentine's Day.....

Cheap Pizza??!??

Okay, I get it.

We live in a society of extremes.

The world longest hot dog (Link), the world's largest ice cream cake (thanks to Dairy Queen Canada for that, Link),  the world's largest ball of twine (Link), the world's largest Teflon™ frying pan (Link), ad nauseum......

Seriously, I mean even as a novelty item, I don't need this.

The $1,000 Dollar Pizza

Coming in at $125.00 dollars a slice, this had better be good; especially, considering that they don't even deliver.

If You Like.....

"If you like Piña Colada,

and getting caught in the rain."

-Rupert Holmes, Escape (The Piña Colada Song)

This song just would not have been the same with the original lyrics, "I you like Humphrey Bogart and getting caught in the rain", especially now on.....

Piña Colada Day!!!!

The sun-drenched tropics are calling with gentle trade winds and sarong clad beach beauties, however, the history of the Pina Colada is as cloudy as the drink itself. One of the earliest known stories states that in the 1800s, Puerto Rican pirate Roberto Cofresí (a.k.a. "El Pirata Cofresí"), to boost his crew's morale, gave them a beverage that contained coconut, pineapple, and white rum. This was what would eventually become the now legendary Piña Colada. But, with his death in 1825, this recipe was lost.

Others have said that in 1957, a San Juan bartender created this "mixture of the unique flavours of Puerto Rico". In contrast, however, others have suggested that the man responsible for the Piña Colada was not, in fact, from the Caribbean at all, but from Europe instead. Ricardo Gracia, born in Barcelona Spain in 1914, was said to have invented this particular cocktail. 

Regardless of its origin, the Piña Colada is now known as the official beverage of Puerto Rico. 

So, how do we make one without flying to the Caribbean?

The most common way to make a frozen blended Piña Colada is with four simple ingredients: rum, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, and ice.

INGREDIENTS

2 ½ to 3 ounces (75-90 ml.) of White Rum

2 ounces (60 ml.) Cream of Coconut

2 ounces (60 ml.) Pineapple Juice

Crushed ice (enough to fill the serving glass)

INGREDIENT NOTE : Cream of coconut is very different from coconut milk; coconut milk cannot be used to replace the cream of coconut in this recipe. If you cannot find cream of coconut, such as Coco Lopez®, which is usually available in a can in the mixers section of any local Über-Mart, you can still make a tasty version, but it takes more time and requires more steps, and, honestly, who really needs that when you're on the beach after all? For those of you who really insist, see the VARIATIONS section below for details.

TECHNIQUE

Pour all of the ingredients into a commercial blender and blend thoroughly until completely smooth. Pour back into your chilled serving glass, top it off with a bendy straw, and a piece of pineapple. Enjoy!

TECHNIQUE NOTE : The ice does not need to be crushed; but, if you use regular ice cubes, you will have to blend it much longer to achieve a fully creamy texture. Hence, I recommend a commercial type blender because it has more horsepower and will give you professional island results.

VARIATIONS

Now, you can use just about any type of rum that you prefer, but white rum, sometimes also called silver rum, is the most common. The white rum allows you to keep the creamy white colour of the cocktail. Dark rums and higher proof rums can also be used, but then you're making a different drink, if that's what you want.

Wouldn't it be great coming home from a crumby day at work to find a pitcher of Piña Coladas in the fridge waiting for you? Since these are fabulous party drinks, they can be made in large batches in advance. Simply multiply the recipe as many times as you like, and then pour the blended mixture into a pitcher or other container and freeze it. The alcohol will keep it from freezing solid; just give it a good stir before serving. If it does freeze a bit, do not fear; just let it sit out on the counter to warm up for a minute while you go into the bedroom to change out of your work clothes and into a sarong; or, you could merely pour it back into the blender and give it a very short whirr. This is your call.

For a very chic and stylish version, you can freeze chunks of pineapple and use them instead of the pineapple juice and ice. This makes for an even sweeter drink since the flavor of the coconut and pineapple won’t be diluted by the slushy ice. Traditionally, this style of drink would be strained into a glass after blending—piña colada literally means “pineapple strained”, after all!

Now, if you can’t find cream of coconut, you can make an approximation yourself using unsweetened coconut milk instead. Add about two (2) ounces (60 ml.) of coconut milk and one (1) tablespoon of sugar to your blender. Since the coconut milk is much thicker than the cream of coconut, it will make a more dense drink. So, to compensate, just add some more ice. Non-fat coconut milk is to be avoided; I mean, really, what's the point?

Though the Piña Colada is most famous for being made as a blended cocktail, like a smoothie or slushie, it can also be made on-the-rocks. For an on-the-rocks version, simply leave out the blender. Using crushed ice or small ice cubes, place everything into a cocktail shaker and add an additional shot of pineapple juice. Shake, shake, shake your merry way around the room and pour into a tall frosty glass. Garnish with some frozen pineapple cubes, or, better yet, use frozen pineapple cubes instead of ice in the shaker!

Booze, booze, and more booze, what about the kiddies? To make a non-alcoholic Piña Colada, simply follow any of these VARIATIONS and leave out the rum! Personally, I would add some additional frozen fruit as a garnish and use a very tall Hurricane or Collins glass, but I'm posh like that.

Have fun!

©2011 Wait At The Bar

Special thanks to Pina Colada Recipe.org.

Buzz....

Thanks to the Nestlé Corporation, we now have this :

This contains 80 mg. of caffeine per package (two bars in each package or 40 mg. per bar) which is as much caffeine as energy drinks like Amazon® or Red Bull®.

The ButterfingerBuzz® is not recommended for pregnant women, those persons sensitive to caffeine, or children.

Well, since they took Four Loko off the market and this energy bar has only 25% of the recommended daily amount of saturated fat, I wonder who Nestlé is trying to market this to???